Revenge on Umbrella
by Biohazard Chick
Summary: Claire cannot get over Steve's death. She decides to find Wesker, so she can find Steve. But can she risk putting herself and others in danger? Please leave your reviews. [New Chapter!]
1. Life after Steve

Chapter 1- Life after Steve  
  
NOTE: The story begins after the incident in the Antarctic base, when they arrive back home.  
  
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Claire and Chris were quiet on the way home from the small airport. There wasn't much to be said. Chris knew Claire was still upset about Steve's death, but he couldn't say anything that would make her feel better. Besides, it had been a long day for her. Bringing up the subject could bring back memories she's trying to forget right now. (Poor Claire. man, I wish I could make her feel better)  
  
As soon as they got home, she pushed open the car door and took out her keys. She tossed them to Chris, and he trudged up the steps to the front door. Claire walked into the house and into the kitchen. She pulled open the refrigerator, and looked for a quick snack. She was starving.  
  
"Hey, how about I order us some Pizza?" Chris asked.  
  
Claire winced, Pizza? Does he really think I'm up for Pizza at a time like THIS?! Instead of yelling, she smiled and said, "No thanks, Chris. I'm not exactly up for cheese tonight."  
  
A worried feeling overcame Chris. Claire not wanting to eat her favorite food is definitely something to worry about, he thought to himself. Claire closed the refrigerator with a packet of crisps in her hand. She walked slowly up the stairs looking as down as ever. Chris ran up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Claire. you sure you're ok? Cause if you wanna talk I'm here for you sis." he began.  
  
Claire stopped him and smiled, "Don't worry about me. I'm just tired."  
  
Chris nodded and went back down the stairs. He sat on the couch and flipped through a T.V magazine before hearing his cell phone ring . He cleared his throat, "Hello?" he said.  
  
"Chris? You're ok? Thank god! Why didn't you call?!," the person said. It was definitely Leon. Chris laughed and put his hand over the phone.  
  
"Sorry man, we just got back." Chris replied, "And Claire's fine too. Well err. except she's a little depressed cause she lost a good friend back there."  
  
"How good a friend?" Leon asked. Chris smiled. He knew Leon had a little crush on his sister.  
  
"Well, they were pretty close, I guess. His name was Steve." He said.  
  
Leon sighed, "Umbrella, right? When will they ever stop?"  
  
Chris paused and listened. Was it his imagination or was Claire crying up there?  
  
"Hey Leon, I'll call you back." He said and hung up before Leon could even say bye. He ran up the stairs and knocked on Claire's door.  
  
"Claire? Can I come in please?" he asked. There was no answer, except for cries.  
  
He opened the door and saw Claire. Her face was buried in her pillow and her whole body was moving. Chris closed the door and sat beside her. He put his hand on her head.  
  
"I can't believe he's gone. I can't believe it." She cried. She got up and looked at Chris. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her face was red. Chris hugged her.  
  
"Don't cry, Claire. please? I hate to see you like this, I really do." He told her stroking her head. Claire pushed him away and folded her arms.  
  
"Chris. you don't understand. When I first met Steve I thought he was just a kid with a cocky attitude. But no kid would have stared at me the way Steve did, Chris. and he didn't feel like a kid to me anymore. More like a mature guy with a bad family history. And before he died, do you know what was the last thing he said to me? He told me he loved me. he LOVED me, Chris."  
  
Claire trailed off and started crying again. Chris was speechless. So something ELSE did go on between them.  
  
Chris decided to leave Claire alone, and got up to walk to the door. Claire continued to cry, for she knew that she could never reply, "I love you too" to Steve.  
  
Claire pulled the covers over her head and cried the whole nightlong. Damn Umbrella. Damn you.  
  
In the morning, Claire found Chris sleeping on the couch with his cell phone in his hand. She walked over to the kitchen and made herself cereal. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the milk. As she closed it, she noticed a picture of Chris with all the other S.T.A.R.S members stuck on nicely. "Boy, did Chris have a goofy looking hair-do back then! Hey. wait, isn't that Wesker? The scum. he took Steve!" she whispered.  
  
Suddenly she had an idea. "Wesker took Steve. If I find Wesker, I'm sure to find Steve!" she said to herself. For the first time since yesterday, she actually smiled without having to fake it. Claire ran to Chris and shook him awake.  
  
"Chris! Chris! Chris! Remember Wesker said that he has Steve and that he can bring Steve back to life? Remember? I'm going to find Wesker. cause where there's Wesker. there's got to be Steve." she said.  
  
Chris stopped her, "Claire, Wesker is a dangerous guy. No, that's insane. Listen Claire, I know you're upset about Steve. but you're going to have to get over it!"  
  
Ding- dong!  
  
"That's the door. I'll get it!" Claire said. She opened the door to find Leon standing in the doorway. She blushed a bit knowing she was still in her nightdress. "Hi Claire." he said and grinned. Chris came over to them to talk to Leon. "Leon, tell her she's insane! She wants to find Wesker so she can find Steve!" Chris said waving his arms around. As soon as he said Steve, Leon winced. "Chris, I'm not insane, ok? And I want to find Steve. I know he's alive!" Claire screamed. Chris put his hands up in the air like he didn't know what to do. Claire ran up to her room and sat down on her bed. If they won't help me find Steve, then I'm going to go find him myself.  
  
Will Claire go to find Steve without Chris's consent? Can she risk putting herself in danger? 


	2. I'm Leaving

Chapter 2- I'm Leaving 

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Chris was very worried about Claire. She was always the one telling Chris to stay cool and calm when situations were bad. Chris sighed and reminded himself that he was doing the right thing. Wesker is not a man to be messed with... Leon coughed, breaking Chris's thoughts.

"Don't worry about Claire, she'll come around soon," Leon told Chris in a cheery tone.

Chris looked at Leon, "Yeah, she's just very stressed out I guess."

"So... tell me more about the T-Veronica virus," Leon said in an attempt to change the subject. "Did you manage to retrieve a sample?"

"No. There was no time," he told Leon. "I had to find Claire. But I'm almost certain that the only existing sample was in Alexia's body."

"Who's Alexia?"

"Just another Umbrella employee. She's dead now though and-"

Chris paused and remembered what Wesker said.

"Wait-Wesker told Claire and me that Steve has a little of the virus in his body now, thanks to Alexia. I guess that's why Claire wants to find him, cause she thinks he's alive," Chris told Leon slowly.

Leon shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "Do you think Steve is alive?"

_Was it my imagination- or did I hear Leon exaggerate Steve's name? _Chris thought to himself.

"Well- I'm not sure, to be honest. But if Wesker can, I don't see why Steve can't."

"Oh," Leon said getting off the couch. "You're not going to find Wesker, are you? Do you even know where he is?"

"He's definitely not at the Antarctic Base, because he's already got what he came for. I'm pretty sure he's at the HCF base in Europe. Err... HCF is the name of the company he works for now. But we can't tell Claire that, otherwise she'll force us into going and I am not about to put Claire in danger... again."

Leon nodded, "Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything."

Claire smiled to herself, for little did Chris and Leon know that Claire had been listening to their conversation the whole time.

"So- the HCF base in Austria, huh?" Claire said to herself. "I'm so there."

Claire walked into her room, and took out her passport. She felt guilty, leaving Chris to worry about her after she's gone. But she had to do this. She owed Steve. Once she infiltrated the base, she could find Steve and get the hell out of there. She'd be back in no time... with Steve.

_Lets just hope Chris doesn't come after me,_ she thought.

"Knock! Knock! Claire it's me... can I come in?" Chris said from outside her door.

Claire quickly put her passport under her pillow, and pulled the blanket over her head.

"Yeah, come on in."

Chris entered her room, and closed the door behind him.

"Listen, Claire-," he began. "I'm sorry we can't go and find Steve."

Claire didn't answer.

"Things will be back to normal soon, you'll get over it. It wasn't your fault Steve died."

_He just doesn't get it, does he?_

"Chris, I'm kinda tired," was all she said.

Chris frowned, "Ok..."

He got up and left the room almost immediately. He could tell Claire wasn't about to talk to him about this just yet.

That night, Claire slipped into her jeans and shirt and opened the door to the small hall. The house was quite old, and the wooden planks on the floor would creak when stood on. She walked stealthily down across the hall, and to Chris's room. He was fast asleep. She crept beside his bed and left a note. She quickly went down the stairs.

"Easy does it," she told herself. "You're almost there..."

Claire made it to the front door, she took her jacket from the closet and left. She rode on her bike all the way to the airport.

"I'm sorry Chris," she said before she left. "Please forgive me"

Chris woke up a few hours after Claire's sudden departure. He had a terrible dream about Wesker. 

'Man, I've been thinking too much', he told himself. He went into the bathroom and poured water onto his face. Chris sat down at the side of his bed and reached for the bottle of water on the side table. Instead, he picked up a paper. He raised a curious eyebrow and read the first part of the letter.

'Dear Chris, I know you're going to be mad when I tell you this. I have left to go to Europe. I think you know the reason why. Don't worry about me, cause I will come back. And that's a promise. Love, Claire.'

Chris immediately ran to the phone and rang Leon. The phone rang a couple of times before he answered it.

"Hello? Whoever you are, you gotta be kidding me! It's two- no, three in the morning!" Leon exclaimed.

"Leon, it's Chris. Claire's gone. She's gone! She must've heard us when we were talking about the base in Europe- Austria, right?!" Chris screamed.

"I'll be right over Chris, don't panic."

It wasn't long until Chris heard the sound of Leon's footsteps outside the door. Before Leon could knock, Chris had already opened the door.

"Leon, I'm going after her. She's nuts! She's going to get herself killed!" Chris screamed as he packed the shotgun in his bag.

"Then I'm going with you. I can help. I can definitely get a couple of guys to come along too." Leon said. "And you don't have to worry about transport. Be ready in two hours, and I'll meet you at the police station, got it?"

Chris smiled at Leon. He was someone Chris could depend on.

"I'll meet you there," he replied.

_She couldn't have left long ago... maybe we'll be able to stop her! _ Chris felt like kicking himself. _Don't get your hopes up too high._

Will Claire be able to find the HCF base in Austria? And will Chris be able to make it in time to prevent Wesker from harming her?


	3. To hunt down a rat

Chapter 3- To hunt down a rat

Claire arrived at the airport in Austria, and walked straight to the information counter. She needed to know where she could find the HCF base.

Claire folded her arms on the counter, "Hi, Um… Do you know of any HCF base here in Austria?"

The young woman behind the counter raised an eyebrow and replied, "No. I have not heard of any HCF- or whatever you call it- base here, Miss."

"Are you sure?" Claire asked again in a more desperate tone.

"Positive."

Claire picked up her small bag, and walked to the exit. She couldn't help but hide her disappointment.

_Chris forgot to mention that the base was a SECRET… now where do I go?_

She called for a taxi, and got in. The taxi driver was a big man, smoking on a cigarette. Claire wouldn't stand for this.

"Do you mind smoking after I leave the cab?"

 "Sure, sure!" he exclaimed in a friendly tone, "So, what brings you to Austria? On holiday, perhaps?"

Claire wasn't entirely sure whether she should tell the man the real reason she was here.

"Because-" Claire spoke and then was silent. "- No reason, I suppose," she said.

"I'm sure there is a reason."

_Geez, what a busy body!_

"Well, do you know of any HCF base? Or facility here in Austria?"

The man was silent, like he was trying to think.

"What's a girl like you doing looking for the HCF base? I'd tell you where it is, but It's not a place for you to be wondering around in," he replied in a soft voice.

"How would you know that?" Claire asked.

"I used to work there. Not many people know about the facility, but I know it of its existence. And it is a mad house. Experiments on humans…" the man shivered.

"I know that. But you don't understand- I absolutely have to go!" Claire said and then sat back, "One of those experiments is my friend."

The man stared at her through the rear view mirror and said, "Then I will take you there."

They had to go through the dense forest to get to the HCF base, and by the time they got there, it was already late in the evening. Claire stepped out of the cab and slammed the door shut.

"You're going to have to walk from here, and find a way in. Do not go through the main entrance as only the employees come in through there," the man said.

Claire thanked the man and took out her wallet to pay.

"Forget it. I earn enough. Just be careful and good luck finding your friend."

Claire thanked him again and then walked down the road, as the cab reversed and drove off. She reached the facility, which looked to be quite big. It wasn't very welcoming, with a "Beware" sign stuck onto the gate. It was also deserted, which was a bad sign.

_Ok, time to find another way into the facility._

She walked to the side of the building, and saw a ventilation shaft that she could easily reach. She crawled through the shaft until she found an opening, and then climbed down. She was surprised to find that there was no one to be found in the room. Except for a couple of computers, the room was empty. She checked the computers.

_Oh, I can see the whole facility this way._

She continued looking at the monitors, and found that there was no sign of any human life. She then caught a glimpse of a shadow moving down the corridor.

_Wesker?_

Albert Wesker took of his sunglasses and held it in his hand. His red eyes gleamed, as he looked down and admired the vial in his hand. The one thing he had been long searching for- the queen virus was in his hand. He put his hand on his face, and remembered what he had gone through to get the virus. His burns were severe from the fight with Chris Redfield back at the Antarctic Base.

"Chris," Wesker said to himself. "How I despise you, so."

_Steve… I still need to take care of him._

After extracting the virus from his body, miraculously Steve survived, and that posed a threat to Wesker. He thought of Steve as nothing but bait for the lovely Claire Redfield. He intended on keeping the queen virus for more important things, rather then keeping Steve a mutant. Wesker walked off, and opened the door to the cell.

Chris, Leon and Barry flew themselves to Austria. Leon sat at the back of with Chris, whilst Barry was flying the plane. Leon couldn't help but feel sorry for Chris, who looked just about as worried as anything.

"Chris, don't worry. Claire's a smart girl. She'll be fine," Leon stated in an effort to comfort him.

Chris shrugged and took out his handgun, reloaded it and stuffed it in his pocket.

"I'm not worried."

_Yeah, sure you aren't, Chris!_ Leon thought. But decided not to say it.

"I can't believe Claire would do this, all for a friend," Chris said.

"She's a great person, that's why."

_Only, from the way things are sounding, she and Steve may be more then friends._

Leon sighed.

"What's wrong? You're not still crazy about Claire, are you?" Chris grinned.

Leon blushed, but quickly coughed to cover up, "Err… no."

Chris ignored the quick answer from Leon, and went up front to discuss the plan of action with Barry. It wouldn't be long till they landed, and they had to be prepared for the worse. Leon fell asleep on the plane, and was shaken awake by Barry.

"Leon… you awake? We're here," Barry said as he handed him a handgun.

Leon took the handgun from Barry and stood up, stretching his arms.

Chris had already stepped out of the plane, and was scanning the area. Barry had landed the plane a mile or two away from the base, so the employees would not be alerted.

Chris led the two of them down the trail, which seemed to go on forever.

"Leon, I just wanted to say that I'm glad you came with me," Chris said.

Barry grunted and Chris laughed, "And I'm especially glad you're here with me too, you know since you've got a family to be with."

_Snap!_

Chris stopped walking and turned around. Leon and Barry turned around to see what Chris was looking at.

"Did you hear that?" Chris asked them both.

"Hear what?" Barry asked.

Chris turned around and replied, "Nothing… I thought I heard something."

As Chris turned around, a dog from a nearby bush pounced on top of him and bit his hand, ripping his skin.

"Chris!" they both yelled in unison.

Leon ran towards the dog, and kicked it off of Chris. Barry aimed at the dog, and caught its head. The dog let out a high-pitched yelp before it died. Chris held up his hand, which was cut and badly bleeding. Leon looked at the dog, which had no skin, only muscle.

_Raccoon City…_ his mind flashed back to when he was in the city.

"We have to…" Chris paused, "… get inside the building before more of the dogs come."

They ran down the trail as fast as they could. Leon looked behind and saw more dogs chasing after them. He thought of turning back and shooting at a few, but then remembered that they didn't have enough ammo. Chris was in pain, but he knew he had to make it. Leon was exhausted, but continued running. If he ever wanted to see Claire again, he had to make it.

Will Leon, Chris and Barry make it to the base without becoming dog-chow? Check out tomorrow's chapter!


	4. Inside the Facility

Chapter 4- Inside the facility  
  
Sorry for the late update. Got caught up in some school work. Anyway, please read and review so i know whether to continue.  
  
NOTE: All thoughts coming from the characters are in brackets.  
  
Claire looked carefully at the monitor again. The figure who she had guessed was Wesker, opened a steel door and closed it behind him.   
  
(Damn it...)  
  
She got up from her seat and looked at the other monitors. They were all blank, except for a couple which was facing outside the facility. Claire decided it would be best if she were to explore the facility, even though she was unaware of the danger behind each door. It was a risk she would have to take... for Steve. Claire placed her hand on the door knob and jiggled it. The sound echoed through the hallway, which made Claire's heart beat loudly. It wasn't that she was feeling scared exactly... but felt close to it. Claire took a deep breath and opened the door. Nothing could be seen for it was too dark. She took out her trusty lighter and lit it. The flame was bright enough for Claire to see the table in front of her. She walked slowly down the corridor. Her boots were heavy, so it was hard not to make a noise.   
  
(Once I find Steve, we can leave... just keep walking...)  
  
Suddenly Claire heard shuffling feet against the wooden floor. Following that noise was a low groan. Claire knew what it was, yet she found it hard to believe that the virus had spread as far as to Austria. She took out her handgun and walked a few more steps. The noise was getting louder and the groans heavier. As she walked closer to the end of the hallway, the smell was getting worse. Claire wrinkled her nose in disgust. She took one more step, when the lighter shown on a figure walking- no, stumbling towards her. Claire quickly reached for her handgun and tried to raise it up. Claire shot a bullet and missed. God, these stupid hands of mine are trembling! She aimed again more carefully this time and shot at the zombie's gullet. The zombie fell back slightly, but quickly got up in time for another shot from Claire. This time she shot at the neck. The zombie let out one last groan and slumped to the floor. Claire shown the light over the dead body, and wasn't too surprised to find that it was a HCF employee. She stepped over the body, and opened the only door at the end of the corridor. Once she closed the door, she felt slightly safer. Perhaps it was because the room was brightly lit, or that she knew what she was to find here. The room she was in was massive. It un-mistakably resembled one of the labs she had seen back in Raccoon City. There was glass on the floor, which was a bad sign that something had escaped from one of the tubes. Claire didn't stick around to find out what it was, and ran to the nearest door in sight. She pulled the metal handle down and quickly went inside. She shivered as soon as she entered the room. The room was covered with ice from top to bottom. Claire walked away from the door when a thought struck her.   
  
(Hey wasn't this the room that figure was in? I'm sure...)  
  
Her eyes followed the trail of footsteps which led to the steel door, in which he had gone out from.  
  
(If it is Wesker, he could hurt me. Kill me even. And I did promise Chris I'd come home safe and sound.)  
  
But something told her she had to open that door. Something awaited her presence behind it. And she found herself opening it against her will. She pushed the door open, her heart beating fast, and sneaked inside. There was no sign of Wesker. She relaxed a bit, and walked past the cells. A cold shiver ran down her spine when she saw the dead bodies of the people who once worked in this facility hung up on the walls. Obviously, someone or something had killed them. And she had no doubt that it was Wesker.  
  
"Claire?"   
  
Claire let out a small shriek and took out her gun, aiming it at where she heard the soft whisper. She walked towards an open cell and saw a body tied up against the wall. She was definitely scared now.   
  
"Claire...?" The voice sounded much surer of itself this time round.   
  
Claire raised her lighter to the face of the person. His face was covered with a small cloth, with a small opening for his eyes. She pulled off the cloth and saw the face of the one she had been searching for. The one she thought had died to save her was here. Alive.   
  
(Steve...)  
  
Steve looked up into Claire's blue eyes and smiled.  
  
Barry banged against the door to the facility. It was no use. It was stuck. He looked up at the fence which looked easily climbable.  
  
"Chris! Leon! Come on!" he shouted as he grabbed onto the fence.   
  
Leon made a jump for the fence and managed to climb to the top where Barry was. Chris grabbed onto the fence with one hand, and Barry and Leon pulled him up. The dogs had just missed them. Leon wiped his face with his shirt.   
  
"Man that was close!" Leon exclaimed.   
  
The three of them climbed down the fence the other side. Leon noticed that Chris was in pain. His hand had been badly gnawed on by those dogs.   
  
"Chris... I gotta fix you up," Leon said. Chris, who didn't once argue, let Leon.   
  
Leon tore off a piece of cloth from his shirt and tied it onto Chris's hand. It was the best he could do until they found proper medication.   
  
"Thanks a lot Leon, I owe you one," Chris said thankfully.   
  
"Hey guys!" Barry yelled. "I found a back door!"   
  
Leon helped Chris up and they both walked to where Barry stood. Barry held the door open for them and then closed the door behind him. Leon, Chris and Barry walked into a massive experiment room. Leon pointed towards a broken tube.   
  
"Looks like something has escaped from there," he said. Chris kicked the glass that was on the floor aside.   
  
"Yeah I guess," Chris replied. Suddenly they heard a high pitched scream coming from behind them. Chris immediately took out his gun when he heard it. A hunter stood on the roof above them, its claws slowly appearing from beneath its skin.   
  
"Shit! What the hell is that?!" Leon said. Chris began shooting at the creature, which jumped off from the roof and swung its claws at Barry. Barry dodged from the creature just in time, and fired at it. With one final shot from Leon, the creature fell to the floor on its front and died. Well, least they hoped it did.   
  
"We better get out of this room," Barry suggested. Without thinking twice, they left the room to the nearest door. 


	5. Steve's back

Chapter 5- Steve's back  
  
[Authors note] I really should update more often, which is what I'm going to do from now on. By the end of the month I hope to finish off this chapter… but ya gotta leave me a review so I know what to write about and what I can improve ^_^ Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
(All thoughts coming from the character's are in brackets since this stupid italics thing doesn't work… argh!)  
  
"Claire... you came here to look for me?" Steve asked whilst Claire tugged at the ropes which held his arm against the wall.  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well-" Claire paused to think whether she should tell Steve the real reason... that she had come to reply to the words he last spoke, but finally decided against it. "Wesker told Chris that you were still alive, so I came to rescue you of course."  
  
Claire pulled off the last string of rope wrapped around Steve's body, and helped him stand up.  
  
"Ouch!" Steve said, slightly wincing at the pain he felt. "I haven't stood up for days…"  
  
Claire laughed. Steve looked her in the eye and knew he still had feelings for her. He blushed slightly at the fact that Claire probably knew he was staring at her, but it was hard for him to keep from looking.  
  
(Those beautiful blue eyes of hers…)  
  
"So, are we going to get out of here or what?" Claire said breaking his thought.  
  
Steve reached for Claire's hand and brought it up to his chest, pressing it lightly against his heart. He hoped it would help Claire understand his feelings for her. Claire's heart skipped a beat at the warmth of his hands enclosed in hers.  
  
"I missed you Claire," Steve said stating the obvious.  
  
"I missed you too," Claire said throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.  
  
Steve put his arms around her feeling overwhelmed that Claire had liked him… maybe even loved him enough to come and find him.  
  
"Claire we gotta get out of this place," Steve said. "Wesker is around this place somewhere. I heard him come in here about half an hour ago."  
  
Claire nodded in agreement. Steve took Claire's hand in his and walked towards the door, hoping he remembered the way to get out of the facility. As Steve was about to pull the door open, someone had already jiggled the handle from the other side. Claire and Steve exchanged glances and they both knew what they were expecting- Wesker. Suddenly the door was pulled open within a second and to Claire's surprise stood Chris and two men behind him.  
  
"CHRIS!" Claire exclaimed.  
  
"CLAIRE!" Chris said in unison with Claire.  
  
Chris put his gun down and put his arm on Claire's shoulders, stunned she was still alive. It's what Barry and Leon had been telling him all along whilst he was thinking the worst had happened.  
  
"Claire, you idiot! You had me worried sick! What the hell were you thinking?" Chris said shaking Claire back and forth.  
  
"Chris I told you not to come… I said I would be back soon," Claire said nervously shifting from one foot to another. She looked over Chris's shoulder and saw a familiar hair cut which could only have belonged to Leon, and a head with… not even a strand of hair on it, which meant Chris had invited his "old partner" Barry. "Hi Leon… hello Barry…" Claire said waving, slightly embarrassed at the idea that Leon was going to meet Steve.  
  
"I was so worried," Chris said letting go of Claire's shoulder and letting out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Me too," Leon added in staring at Steve's hand, which was still wrapped around Claire's.  
  
"This is Steve," Claire said.  
  
"So you're the guy my sister risked her life for?" Chris said  
  
"Um… I guess so," he replied slightly unsure as to whether it was a joke or not.  
  
Chris smiled slightly to show that he was ok with everything. Leon and Steve exchanged an icy smile.  
  
(So this is the guy who escaped from Raccoon City with Claire? Hah… I could beat him up any day…) Steve thought to himself.  
  
(Get the hint. She's mine. Go find someone else!) Leon thought.  
  
"Uh… guys hate to break up the party but…" Barry interrupted.  
  
"Yes, we'd best get going," Chris said finishing off Barry's sentence.   
  
Barry reached into his pocket and pulled out ammo. He reloaded his gun and stood next to the door peeking outside to make sure the "coast was clear". It reminded Claire of that police movie she had seen. She rolled her eyes and pushed open the door. Barry grinned.  
  
Chris and Barry led the group out of the room and into the lab they had met with the hunter. Leon hung back near Steve and Claire, watching closely Steve's every move.  
  
"Claire!" Leon called to get her attention.  
  
Claire looked at Leon who slowly began to walk towards her. He was biting his lip, still thinking of what he wanted to say. Anything to keep her from talking to Steve.  
  
"I was worried about you… did you get hurt?" Leon asked faking his concern.  
  
Leon knew Claire was a tough girl. She could look after herself for she had done so twice already.  
  
"No," Claire smiled. "I'm fine, I found Steve as soon as I got here so I didn't really meet anything besides zombies."  
  
"That's good… you got a gun?" Leon asked taking out an extra handgun.  
  
Claire reached into her pocket and pulled out a handgun.  
  
"Um… I don't have one," Steve said opening his hands.  
  
"You know how to use a gun?" Leon snickered.  
  
"Hell yeah! I shot down a couple of hunters, zombies… basically everything you've seen," Steve proudly announced then added, "I protected Claire from one of those long armed things too."  
  
"Riiiightt of course you did, "Leon said slightly laughing to himself at the fact that this young boy had the nerve to try and impress Claire.  
  
"OK, ok guys stop!" Claire said before Steve came back with a smart comment.  
  
Leon looked at Steve and smiled, even though the smile was nowhere near sincere. Steve grunted and frowned, resting his arm on the wall.  
  
Claire looked at Leon and knew why he was being this way. He had asked Claire out on a date to the movies not long ago, and they did go… but it seems Leon had mistaken her for his girlfriend. It was hard not to keep thinking about it for the rest of the walk through the lab.  
  
Chris felt tremors under the floor once they had got to the next room, which was a hug hallway with many painting and a lovely white couch. Too welcoming for a facility, so Chris had guessed it was the main entrance hallway.  
  
"Does anyone else feel that?" Chris asked, bending down so he could listen.  
  
"I think someone is trying to start up the facility," Leon suggested.  
  
"But who?" Claire asked.  
  
At once an outburst of laughter could be heard as they all looked to the end of the hall. There stood Wesker smiling at them. With his slick blonde hair, black suit, boots and of course, his trademark sunglasses, Chris knew it was him instantly. Wesker walked towards them, one step, and another step, as he got closer Chris saw his eyes flash red.  
  
"I knew having Steve kept here would be a useful thing," Wesker said raising his right fist.  
  
"It comes as no surprise having Claire here… but I never would have expected you to come Chris. And with such a small army too," Wesker paused and waited for Chris to answer, but when he didn't he continued, "When you know how powerful I am now."  
  
Claire grabbed Chris's arm as he was about to move forward.  
  
Barry raised his gun and aimed it at Wesker, "I say we kill the bastard."  
  
"Uh… not a good idea Barry," Chris whispered from in front.  
  
Steve grabbed Claire's hand and pulled her towards the door.  
  
"STEVE! NO!" Claire shouted.  
  
Leon saw Claire and Steve run off and ran with them. It wasn't that he was chicken, but he didn't trust that Steve. For all he knew, Steve could be working for Wesker. This only seemed to anger Wesker as he threw back his fist and got ready to move forward to attack. Chris and Barry looked back as the door slammed shut.  
  
"Shit. Where are they going?" Chris said to Barry still watching Wesker.  
  
Wesker ran forward but missed both Chris and Barry as they dodged from his view. Chris didn't know what to do, to run or to stay? But before Chris could even make a decision, Wesker had jumped and grabbed him from behind, twisting him so he could grab his neck.  
  
"Chris!" Barry yelled jumping back.  
  
Barry looked around for something to hit Wesker with. But there was nothing besides a couch, and a couple of soda machines. Wesker held Chris against the wall as Chris gasped for air.  
  
"Let me go, Wesker!" Chris shouted kicking Wesker wherever he could.  
  
(Ok, I'm going to die here…) Chris said to himself as his head began to fill with negative comments.  
  
Wesker tightened his grip around Chris's neck and laughed at the thought that this was it. Chris was going to die here and now. Suddenly, his glasses were slapped off and as he turned to face Barry, Barry sprayed a can of soda in his eyes. And it stung. Wesker let go of Chris and covered his eyes, just about opening them enough to see them both run through the other side of the door from Leon, Steve and Claire. Wesker rubbed his eyes continuously until they adjusted to the brightness of the room, and slowly the images became clearer. He would kill Chris and Barry for this… he'd make sure of it somehow.  
  
Barry and Chris smiled as they ran through to the next room. Chris put his arms on his knees and took in a breath of air.   
  
He patted Barry on the back and said, "Thanks, man. I owe you."  
  
Barry rested his arm on the table, "Yeah. You owe me a buck for the soda."  
  
They both laughed until Barry took out his wallet and opened it, "Seriously though. You owe me a buck." ^_^  
  
[Authors note] Well that's all for now. Hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review. 


	6. Love Triangle

Authors Note: The last time I updated this story was nearly a year ago. Only recently did I remember about so I guess it's never too late to finish the story, even after a year. Sorry for keeping you all waiting.

**Chapter 6-** Love Triangle

"Steve! Let me go!" Claire said as she tried to release herself from Steve's tight grip.

Steve continued to pull her through a few more doors before finally coming to a halt. Claire shrugged her arm free from his grip and examined Steve's fingernail marks he left on her skin. Nobody could mistake that Claire Redfield was furious. Her cheeks were red and flushed and her blue eyes were glowing with a fiery rage.

_She sure does look cute when she's mad…_

"Who do you think you are!" Claire snapped interrupting his thought. "You left Chris and Barry!"

"I just wanted to protect you!" Steve replied looking hurt by Claire's sudden outburst.

Claire looked less like she was about to strangle Steve. In fact, her gaze upon him seemed to have lightened. She sighed in response and gave Steve that "I-really-don't-know" look.

Before they could say anything else to each other, Leon pushed open the door and stopped to catch his breath before confronting Steve.

"Are you insane!" Leon yelled inches from his face. "How could you just leave Chris and Barry like that?"

"I-I don't know," Steve said looking guilty.

There was a moment of silence. Leon eagerly waited for Claire to back him up and say something else. Instead, Claire said, "Leon, let's just leave it."

"Claire?" Leon seemed stunned by her statement, "You know he was wrong! How can you side with him after he left your brother and Barry to fight Wesker alone?"

"There's no point fighting about it. What's done is done. So let's just leave it at that," Claire said with less patience.

Steve shot Leon a smug look as Leon's mouth hung half open in shock. Claire groaned and spun away from the guys heading towards the door they came from.

_Sometimes guys can be so immature…_Claire thought as she pushed open the door.

"Hey, Chris!" Barry said pointing to a random painting on the wall. "Check this out!"

Chris stopped on his track and looked over his shoulder, "Yes?" He said curiously raising an eyebrow.

"Ain't this funny?" Barry grinned as he pointed to the painting.

Chris walked towards the painting and admired it. It was a painting of a cat.

"Huh?"

Barry laughed out loud as he walked away from the painting. Chris smiled to himself and rolled his eyes.

_Man, Barry is such a goofball!_

Barry and Chris had been walking through what seemed to be an art room of some kind. Barry had stopped to comment on almost every sculpture and painting in the room. Including the ones of cats.

"So, where do you think Claire, Steve and Leon are?" Barry asked as he bent over to tie his shoe lace.

"I don't know, but we should look for them before Wesker finds them," Chris replied surely.

"And what do we do once we find them?"

"I think our best bet is to call for a helicopter once we find them. We can't beat Wesker, he's far too strong," Chris said looking Barry in the eye.

Barry caught his gaze and nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, Chris was right. Wesker was very powerful.

"Wait! I have a plan!" Barry said aloud and then paused, "We should split up."

"What?" Chris said totally taken back. "Barry that is the worst plan in the history of bad plans."

"But Chris, I can find the control room and call for a helicopter. There's no signal here."

Chris thought about it for a second, but immediately shook the idea out of his head.

"No way Barry, I'm not putting my friends in danger. I really think-"

"Shut up Chris! I can do this!" Barry interrupted. Chris looked shocked, his eyes wide in surprise.

_Barry, Mr. Nice guy, is telling me to "shut up?" _Chris thought to himself.

Chris couldn't help but smile. Barry always knew how to crack him up, even when he didn't mean to.

"Weapon Storage…" Steve read aloud.

"Wow Steve, you can read!" Leon said sarcastically and then pushed the door open.

Steve mimed stabbing a knife into Leon's back as he opened the door. Steve felt better, that is, _before _Claire shot him a look of death.

"Sorry," Steve muttered under his breath.

Once they were in the room, Claire traced her hands against the wall to find a switch. She flipped it on when she felt it. However, once she flipped it she wished she hadn't, as the room was filled with zombies crawling around the floor.

Claire gasped and took out her handgun. Leon and Steve already had their guns ready.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" Steve yelled above the moans coming from the zombies. "Maybe we can dodge them and save ammo."

"Steve's right," Claire said, "Quickly check the room for any guns or ammo and then let's go!"

With that being said, all three of them searched the spacious storage warehouse for any guns or ammo. Claire stepped over the zombies on the floor, kicking a few in the head as they tried to grab her boots. Whenever she made any eye contact with the zombies, she couldn't help but feel utterly disgusted and grossed out. It was like a bad horror movie. Everything that's happened in her life.

_Until there was Steve…_

Suddenly Claire came to realise what she had just thought to herself.

_Now is not the time to be thinking about that! _She reminded herself sternly.

Claire snuck a quick glance at Steve and blushed. She continued checking all the shelves and pulling all the boxes down, but there was nothing but dust and spider webs.

"Found anything?" Leon called from a corner in the warehouse.

"No, nothing here," Claire replied still pulling more boxes down.

"I found a machine gun," Steve proudly announced.

_That Steve is such a cocky asshole, _Leon thought and said softly to himself.

Leon had never felt so humiliated. He was competing with a _kid _for Claire's heart. Sure, he was only four years younger, but Leon knew he couldn't look after Claire. Claire needed a real man- like Leon. He turned his attention back to searching for weapons, but it didn't last long when without warning, the lights turned off.

Claire's heart stopped for a second. All she saw in front of her was complete darkness. She could not even see the outline of her hands.

"Steve? Leon?" Claire almost whispered, unable to keep the trembling out of her voice.

She was afraid.

"Someone turn the lights back on!" Claire heard one of the guys say.

Claire stood completely still in the darkness. She could hear the shuffling sounds of clothes on the floor, as the zombies moved around. Accompanying that sound was the sound of an opening door that creaked and echoed throughout the warehouse. Claire felt the tears well up in her eyes. Suddenly she heard the sound of heavy footsteps and a scratchy kind of sound. Claire knew that sound, but she didn't want to believe a hunter was in the room. She wouldn't let herself believe it.

_Oh my gosh…_

For a minute, the only other sounds she heard were the sounds of her heavy breathing. It was then that the lights started blinking on and off until the whole room lit up again. Immediately Claire spun around and aimed at the wall. She moved back, taking each step slow, her eyes traced down to the floor. Surrounding all of the previously living dead was a large pool of blood. Claire tried to remain calm, but the silence was beginning to get to her head. Slowly she let herself look up, and on top of the shelves stood the last thing she wanted to see. A hunter stood before her eyes- only this hunter didn't look anything like the one she saw earlier. Its colour was purple, and it appeared to be larger. Claire was frozen with fear. The hunter didn't seem to have seen her yet.

_Now's my chance... run, run!_

But her feet felt like they were glued to the ground. She knew she had to make a run back to the door- if she had any chance of surviving the situation. Claire pushed herself away from the shelves and made a run for the door. She didn't look behind, but she was sure as heck the hunter had spotted her. It let out a high pitched, ear shattering cry, after which followed a loud thump. She turned a sharp corner and slipped on the blood. Her knees and hands were drenched in blood.

"Leon, Steve!" She called in despair as she took of running again.

Her pace began to speed up when she turned and saw the hunter barely a few inches away from her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the hunter jump. In mid-air it raised its right arm and slashed at her. Claire leaped forward, dodging the slash so it just barely missed her body, but managed to slash her ankle. She cried in pain and grabbed her ankle. She tried to push herself away from the hunter, but her efforts were pointless.

_I'm going to die here! No, someone help me!_

"Hey asshole! Over here!" a voice called behind the hunter.

The hunter didn't look, and continued walking towards Claire.

"Claire duck!"

Claire immediately threw her hands over her head and fell to the ground. The spacious and almost empty warehouse echoed loudly when Steve used the machine gun. The sound of ammo pumping holes in the hunter was very reassuring that this wasn't the end for Claire Redfield.

_Phew._

The hunter let out its final cry before it fell slowly to the ground. Claire was so happy; she could have kissed the floor if it wasn't covered with the guts and blood of previous employees. She tried to move, but almost instantly felt an enormous amount of pain in her ankle as well as her leg. Steve and Leon both rushed to her. Steve placed his newly discovered gun beside her.

"Claire, are you okay?" Leon said, his eyes filled with concern.

Claire examined her leg, "I think so. But I can't move my leg. It feels numb, and it really hurts."

Steve looked at her leg. It was bleeding, and it looked to be infected.

"I think I'm poisoned," she continued, "not again!"

"No worries Claire, I'll go look for an antidote," Steve volunteered.

Leon looked at Steve and raised an eyebrow, "Steve, you don't even know if there is one. It could be dangerous if you go running around."

_I'm not a kid! _ Steve wanted to shout out. He was furious by the way Leon talked to him like he was just some kid. Steve gave one last glare to Leon, picked up his new weapon, and stormed out of the room.

"Steve!" Claire shouted.

But it was too late. He was already halfway down the hall.


End file.
